Obama makes case in Tampa; Crist furthers distances himself from GOP

TAMPA - About 8,500 people packed a park in Ybor City this morning to hear President Barack Obama at a rally that he called part of his 48-hour “fly-around-campaign extravaganza.”

As he had in stops in Colorado and Nevada yesterday, Obama ripped Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for changing positions on issues and called it “Romnesia” to the delight of the unquestionably Democratic crowd.

He fired up the crowd with a laundry list of accomplishments that he said showed he kept commitments he made to the American people in 2008. The list included ending the war in Iraq, pulling back troops from Afghanistan, killing Osama bin Laden, cutting payroll taxes, ending the bank bailouts and repealing Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell.

“We’ve come too far to turn back now,” Obama said during his 20 minute speech.

With an increasingly hoarse voice, Obama implored the crowd of supporters to vote early like he plans to do this week in Illinois.

“I can’t tell you who I’m voting for,” Obama said with a deadpan delivery. “It’s a secret ballot.”

Obama's visit comes just 48 hours after he delivered a similar speech in Delray Beach on Florida's east coast. And it comes just two days before Romney is scheduled to be back in Florida for a three-stop tour that will include Land O'Lakes in Pasco County.

The Ybor City rally also featured former Gov. Charlie Crist who continued his messy divorce from the Republican Party. Crist warmed up the crowd by ripping a decision – made by Gov. Rick Scott – to turn down federal funding for a bullet train that Crist said would have meant thousands of jobs for Tampa.

“Ideology got in the way and stopped it,” Crist said in comments that will likely only add to talk that Crist is angling to run for governor as a Democrat in 2014 against Scott.

Crist got his biggest cheers when he told the crowd that the nation needs to move forward with Obama, not backwards with the Republicans.

“Trust me, I’ve been there,” Crist said of the GOP. “I got out.”

Crist changed his party registration to “no party affiliation” in 2010 during his GOP primary campaign against U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Republican.

Jeremy Wallace

Jeremy Wallace has covered politics for more than 15 years.
He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4966.
""More Wallace"
Make sure to "Like" HT Politics on Facebook for all your breaking political news.

Last modified: October 25, 2012
All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be published without permissions. Links are encouraged.